Little Gestures
by RiaSternchen
Summary: Akane's and Ranma's relationship changes gradually throughout the story. Still there are no huge outbreaks of affection between them. But maybe they just need the little gestures to know what the other feels...
1. Late Night

The streets of Nerima were dark when Akane exited the building. The music of the party had not vanished from her ears yet, but when the cold and fresh air started to fill her lungs she knew it had been the right decision to leave.  
She looked at her watch. Why hadn´t she realized it was already past two ó clock in the morning?

Heading towards her home she shivered. A thin fog floated around her and covered the houses in a milky blanket while the streetlights rays shimmered through the white layers like distant souls.  
It was the first time in months her father had allowed her to go to a friend´s party without Ranma attending as her shadow. There had been seemingly endless discussions with her father until he agreed she could go alone since she was no little child anymore and capable of being cautious.

It wasn't that she did not want Ranma to go with her but she felt bad about tagging him along when he knew none of her new friends.  
He would sit in some distant corner, sip at his drink and watch her like a hawk, though she should not notice. And whenever a guy would come near her Ranma would glare at him in that one manner only he could come up with until she, Akane, was left alone.  
Akane knew of course he did this because of some hidden affection deep inside of him, she had learned enough about their relationship in the past years, but still she wouldn´t be able to resist starting an argument with him.  
She would tell him he was a jerk and he would answer his only intention was to save those poor guys from meeting an uncute tomboy like her.

This time Akane did not want them to end up arguing. So she just left without him this one evening, passing him in the hallway and putting on her shoes while he eyed her apparently indifferent.  
When she turned around and their gazes met she smiled lightly.  
"So, Ranma, what are you doing tonight?"  
He only snorted and turned around. "Not your business, tomboy. And what is it you´re wearing? You should were a skirt, not a belt!" he mumbled.  
"Oh, and who are you to know so much about fashion, Mr. "I-only-got-two-shirts"?!" she hissed back at him, already losing her temper.  
Ranma smirked. "Never mind, it´s not like anybody would be interested in you. No need to be worried, even if you wore nothing at all…"  
With that he had jumped up the stairs before Akane could respond at all.

Sighing, Akane took the last corner before arriving at home.  
Sometimes she just did not understand how they could quarrel as much as they did.  
Looking down at her feet that looked distant because of the billowing fog at the ground she passed the front gates when something caught her eyes.  
Jumping back she stared at the dark figure on the wall, her heart racing in her chest. Had somebody followed her?  
The now thicker fog rounded the dark figure which did not move. Slowly sneaking towards the person Akane hold her breath, only the sound of her beating heart resounding in her head.

"But…?" she gasped, staring at the pig-tailed boy who was sleeping on the wall, his arms folded across his slowly up and down moving chest.  
_What is he doing there?! _  
"Ranm…!" she started to growl, when he all of sudden mumbled her name.  
"Akane…" he sighed in his sleep, leaving the girl speechless.

_He seems so peaceful!_ she thought, involuntary reaching out for him. Was he waiting for her?  
She gently touched his cheek with two of her fingertips, slowly tracing the line of his face while watching him.  
Had he always waited like that when she went out on her own?  
And suddenly she realized he never wanted her to see him. He had waited for her each time and whenever he had realized she was coming he had retreated into the house.  
A little smile crept onto her features when she thought about all the times they had met in the house when she came back and he had said he just wanted to get a drink or something to eat.

"Oh Ranma…" Akane moaned, looking at him intensely. Ranma stirred in his sleep and his eyelids started to flutter.  
Yawing he opened his eyes and realized he was still sitting on the wall. It had gotten even darker. Frowning he looked around, but no one was to be seen.  
Akane, who had hidden behind the corner, heaved a sigh of relief. Changing into an upright position she cleared her throat and coughed only once to let Ranma know she was coming, before walking around the corner.  
Grinning she saw the dark figure on the wall was gone, only some leaves of the tree behind the wall seemed to rustle in a soft breeze. She´d never have noticed.

Entering the house she got rid of her shoes and went in the direction of the kitchen, nearly colliding with a certain pig-headed boy.  
"Oh, I´m sorry, Ranma!" She smiled at him brightly.  
"Watch your step, tomboy" he answered, which made her smile grow even wider, leaving him confused.  
"What´s up with you, are you drunk?" he asked, checking on her from top to toe.  
"I´m fine", she answered, "just why are you still awake?"  
"I wasn´t, you just woke me. You´re just too loud, you know. And you let the fog in, too! You´re such a clutz!" His voice sounded as mean and stubborn as always, but she could not help herself.

She giggled, which made him stare at her even more. Shooting him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.  
"Sorry. Won´t happen again!"

_Author´s Notes:_

_Ok, this is my way of getting back into the subject. I had not read or watched or written about Ranma1/2 in more than one year and now I´m starting to feel bad since I haven´t finished my other Ranma Story and you are still waiting.  
Since I really put much into "RapI" I don´t want to finish it just somehow to get it off my neck. I first have to get back to Ranma and Akane (by writing short stories), so this is my first approach.  
Hope you liked it!_

_Read and review.  
Ria_

P.s. I do NOT own Ranma 1/2


	2. The Dark

**Chapter 2: The Dark…**

While she was sitting in the dark, waiting for it to happen, she knew it had been a bad idea. She should not have come here, shouldn't have listened to her so-called friends who had literally forced her to do so. Right now she should just stand up, turn around and leave. But she just couldn't. She felt her whole body turn rigid. Staring ahead she tried not to shiver in panic.

He did not even have to turn to recognize the stages of panic she went through. Starting when the lights went out her heartbeat increased rapidly and her normally cool aura became a fury, mirroring her inner struggles. He sighed inaudibly, concentrating on the large screen in front of the room, watching beautiful, not very appropriately clothed women praising some sort of ice-cream. Next to him she was shifting in her seat, obviously uncomfortable in this place. Again he tried to ignore her.  
When the movie finally started she froze. Nothing had happened yet, for the main characters were merely introduced, and he could not help himself but glance at the blue haired woman next to him. Her chocolate eyes were filled with worry. He shook his head quite amused. How could someone who fought gods and monsters be scared of silly ghost stories and horror movies?  
Concentrating on the screen again he felt her shiver once. The main characters of the movie were just entering a dark, obviously haunted manor, not realizing what dangers could be ahead.  
Somehow he longed to comfort her, tell her everything was fine and that they could leave immediately if she really was that afraid. But these words would never leave his mouth.  
Next to him her hands tightened around the armrest, digging her fingertips violently into the material as a precaution of staying upright and in place. Her back pressed into the seat and with one swift look to his right he saw her struggle to close her eyes while the fear of the sounds she would hear without seeing the pictures made her watch the screen still through half-lid eyes.  
The quiet, dark music of the movie changed, announcing the nearing danger and he felt Akane brace herself for it. Groaning inwardly he realized he didn't have a clue what had happened in the movie up till now – the woman next to him had captured all of his attention.

She stared at the screen, hypnotized by the actions of the protagonists, not knowing he could read her that well. She nearly forgot about his presence at all. She knew something was about to happen. Normally she would take her friend Ruka's hand, feeling comforted because someone would be next to her, just like the girl on screen held the hand of her boyfriend who'd surely die or vanish in the next minutes, but Ruka sat five seats apart from her, next to the "guy of the hour". And since every of her friends had brought some boy she had been seated next to Ranma, her fiancé, whose hand she obviously could not take. She didn't dare to look at him, for he would obviously recognize such a movement immediately, so she just pushed herself further into the uncomfortable seat and tried to fade out what was happening on the huge screen in front of her. Unfortunately her eyes would focus on the movements in the movie anyway and when the music changed she wished she could just close her eyes or turn her head. Her fingers which were clutching the armrests for dear life were numb, she had to remind herself not to stop breathing entirely and then...

Ranma nearly jumped. He had, of course, noticed her startled movement when the first ghostly shadow burst into sight, but her loud yelp and the sudden sensation of her face buried in his shoulder and her slender fingers softly pressing into his arm had surprised him entirely.  
He could feel her hot breath on his bare upper arm and goose pumps started forming were it grazed his skin. Her whole body was shaking. A grin involuntarily spread on his lips. But just until he realized the staring gazes surrounding them.

"Geez, tom-boy, what do ya think you're doing?!" Ranma hissed, a bit louder than necessary. He glared at her when she looked up to respond. Small tears of fright were still glittering in her eyes. She gulped silently, blushing in a brilliant shape of scarlet. He snorted audibly. "I'm not a cushion, ya know... I wish I could sit next to another girl who wasn't such a scaredy-cat as you are!" With that he snatched his arm out of her grasp and immediately missed the feeling of her hands on his skin. He stared at the screen again. The male main character had somehow vanished, but Ranma did not care. Akane shifted in her seat again and also looked at the screen. Ranma caught a faint "Sorry" in the air which nobody else perceived. He wanted to punch himself right that moment. Couldn't he ever just be gentle and nice to her? Little by little the audience of their little scene also returned to watching the movie and stopped staring at the young woman whose face was still bright red but at the same time again afraid of the movie.  
Without attracting attention he looked at her again, knowing that now he had yelled at her she would not try to seek comfort in him again. He sighed quietly at the same time she did, which caught her attention. Glancing at him she frowned, her eyes sad and scared, when a loud sound of the movie made her suddenly clench her seat again and close her eyes tightly. She seemed to be petrified.  
He immediately felt even worse for letting her down like he did and for betraying his own feelings. Though he'd never admit he had any of those for _her. _

Her head was spinning. She did not know why Ranma was looking at her but right now she tried not to listen to anything but her own heart which hammered in her chest. Still she could hear every noise that resounded from the speakers inside the dark room. Again something was about to happen. She knew it. But she did not know how she would react this time since her last unconscious attempt of saving herself had led her into the arms of the strong guy next to her – who obviously would not want that kind of attention again. She stopped breathing; maybe the loss of oxygen would cause a random noise inside her head to distract her from further of the plot's surprises, when suddenly a warm hand loosened her fingers from the slightly raspy material of her seat. Appalled she looked up to see his blue orbs gazing gently at her while he entwined his fingers with hers. She glanced down at her hand which was burning with sensation where his fingertips brushed against it and then back at his face. "This is the last time we're watching this kind of movie." He whispered into her ear, relocating himself in his seat and watching the screen again. She only nodded - a movement she was sure he'd catch and looked to the front, too, but her gaze was altered. Her view was blurry for a tingly feeling had settled itself in her stomach.

And while he watched the last part of the movie contently she didn't have a clue what happened in it then - the man next to her had captured all of her attention.

**_Author's Notes:_**

**_Just a little something. My friends only take me to watch horror movies since I'm the amusing person screaming and being afraid. (Unfortunately nobody takes my hand __ ) Hope you liked it._**

**_Ria_**


End file.
